No Dogs on Go Transit

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I totally disagree with allowing dogs on Go transit. The ridership will not increase. There are many people that cannot get a seat which is a problem for elderly people or people with medical conditions. There are people that are allergic to dogs or afraid of dogs. Most dogs are noisy and they bark. How do you stop them? If something happens with a dog, do they stop the train and cause more delays? It is absolutely unfair that the dog owners would not have to pay for a ticket. People that do not get a seat pay for a ticket. If I have to pay $25 per day for my go transit fare, I don't want to deal with dogs and there are many people that would agree. They don't allow dogs in most stores because it bothers customers so why would they allow them on Go trains? They don't allow dogs in most businesses. Are you allowed to take your dog to work? Many people will gather around dogs like kids and start talking about their dog. Many people will not appreciate this. What would happen if there is a failure/delay and you are stuck with dogs that need to poop. When they allowed dogs in some condos, there were many complaints. What makes anyone think that dogs on transit will behave better? Many dogs are dirty and who wants hair all over the carpeting and seats. Do you really think most dog owners are responsible? My neighbours have dogs and they are responsible but every time I walk into the back yard, I hear them barking.

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I totally disagree with allowing dogs on Go transit. The ridership will not increase. There are many people that cannot get a seat which is a problem for elderly people or people with medical conditions. There are people that are allergic to dogs or afraid of dogs. Most dogs are noisy and they bark. How do you stop them? If something happens with a dog, do they stop the train and cause more delays? It is absolutely unfair that the dog owners would not have to pay for a ticket. People that do not get a seat pay for a ticket. If I have to pay $25 per day for my go transit fare, I don't want to deal with dogs and there are many people that would agree. They don't allow dogs in most stores because it bothers customers so why would they allow them on Go trains? They don't allow dogs in most businesses. Are you allowed to take your dog to work? Many people will gather around dogs like kids and start talking about their dog. Many people will not appreciate this. What would happen if there is a failure/delay and you are stuck with dogs that need to poop. When they allowed dogs in some condos, there were many complaints. What makes anyone think that dogs on transit will behave better? Many dogs are dirty and who wants hair all over the carpeting and seats. Do you really think most dog owners are responsible? My neighbours have dogs and they are responsible but every time I walk into the back yard, I hear them barking.

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People can also be noisy, dirty, and unpleasant. Maybe we should ban people from GO trains too! 🤔

Yes, some people should be banned as well but people pay for their fare. Dogs will take up more space, hence the dog owners should pay twice the fare instead of nothing.

2 hours ago, leylandvictory2 said:

create a petition

I was thinking of creating a petition to allow everyone to pay no fare during non-peak hours. If they will allow the dogs with no tickets, then people should not pay as well. I don't understand why dogs have better privileges than people. Can you imagine if i'm eating something and some passenger with a dog sits beside me and the dog starts barking at me. If they want to increase ridership, then they should allow people to bring a friend for free. I wonder who is going to clean up the dog hair before rush hour starts. I really think that the committee that approved this dog pilot should be all fired.

Also you don't have to make this a big deal. There's something called moving somewhere else.

I can move but another passenger with a dog can come and sit beside me. I still have to deal with dogs when exiting the train and waiting for a train. I don't think it's fair that people that are allergic to dogs or afraid of them have to deal with this. Some kids may start screaming when they are around big dogs. They are not allowed at work ever, not even on kids days, so why should they be allowed on our public transportation system.

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...because a workspace is different than a public transport system? No one needs to take their dog to work, but sometimes you need to take your dog someplace far away from home, and not everyone has a car they can do that with.

Unless the dog is going to be using the seat (which doesn't happen), dogs aren't going to take up that much more space than a large backpack. Should backpack users pay an extra fare for theirs?

Lots of transit systems allow dogs on board and they've managed to deal with behavioural and hygienic concerns, I'm not sure why GO allowing them is going to bring about the apocalypse.

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I totally disagree with allowing dogs on Go transit. The ridership will not increase. There are many people that cannot get a seat which is a problem for elderly people or people with medical conditions. Please complain to GO transit before the pilot program begins.

Note that the pilot program doesn't apply during rush hour and the number of dogs is likely to be low. This just enables more people to use the service for general travel, rather than requiring them to take a car because they need to take their dog with them.

As for your other concerns, they're unlikely to be a significant problem. Yes, there are people who are allergic to dogs, but trains are big and with plenty of room. This will work itself out, and if it doesn't, that's why it's a pilot program.

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...because a workspace is different than a public transport system? No one needs to take their dog to work, but sometimes you need to take your dog someplace far away from home, and not everyone has a car they can do that with.

Unless the dog is going to be using the seat (which doesn't happen), dogs aren't going to take up that much more space than a large backpack. Should backpack users pay an extra fare for theirs?

Lots of transit systems allow dogs on board and they've managed to deal with behavioural and hygienic concerns, I'm not sure why GO allowing them is going to bring about the apocalypse.

Your answer is rational and logical but I don't agree. There are other ways to transport your dog and you can use a crater since it is allowed now. This is the purpose of craters to make sure that the dog does not move around and bother other passengers. People have no choice but to take the trains with today's traffic. They have a right not to sit beside a dog or be sniffed by a dog. Of course, one dog can cause havoc on a train but the probability that a person will do that is much lower. If GO transit wants to increase ridership, then they should allow a friend for free and the ridership will be much higher than allowing dogs. This is a better business decision and it may lower the current unreasonable fares. Do you understand that some people have to pay $25 a day to travel to work? I have to pay $25 to go to Toronto downtown and I'm not going to pay that much for leisure travel. They are punishing people with the high fares and they think they are going to fix the ridership problem with dogs that can cause more problems. If I don't have a dog in my home for my own reasons, I have a right to not be near a dog on a train which is a necessity for most people. I have explained how you can transport your dog. If people want to take a dog somewhere, there are many parks, they don't need to do leisure travel on a train and get a free fare. If you want to transport your dog somewhere, then be fair and pay for the dog's ticket.

2 hours ago, Bus_Medic said:

Considering how often dogs show up on the ttc, this will turn out to be a baseless worry.

If you don't think dogs use the ttc, then why are they allowing dogs to travel for free on a train to increase ridership. From what you are saying, this is not going to increase ridership and help out Go transit. You don't know or have the statistics of how many dogs use the ttc since you don't travel 24/7 on various ttc routes. I think it's pathetic that dog's don't have to pay for a ticket when they are more of a problem. I don't want to seat anywhere where there was a dog. I don't want dog hair on me. There are other people with allergies that can cause problems for them. Be courteous and sensitive to other people. Since when are dogs more important than people and higher privileges like free fares.

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I've seen enough dogs sitting in a seat on the King or Queen streetcars. Some of their owners may even have had POP.

Dogs are not like backpacks. Dogs move and bark and can possibly make a mess with hair and poop. Dogs can take up more space than a person. Dog owners must pay for their ticket just like you pay for extra luggage when you travel. You do know that you are only allowed so much luggage when taking the VIA. If the train is packed because there is an event, I don't want to stand and be sniffed by a dog. If any accident happens, who is going to pay for my dry cleaning bill? People have rights as well and dog owners should be sensitive to that. If I don't want a dog in my house, I have a right not to be near a dog in the public transit system since I'm paying enough for it. Please explain to me why dogs should travel for free. This is absolutely ridiculous.

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With all these posts, you are getting repetitive if not obsessive. You should try to convince Metrolinx to revisit their strategy. CPTDB has no power over GO regulations. You will find that, frequently, forums don't even make a nice support group for personal concerns.

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With all these posts, you are getting repetitive if not obsessive. You should try to convince Metrolinx to revisit their strategy. CPTDB has no power over GO regulations. You will find that, frequently, forums don't even make a nice support group for personal concerns.

I agree with you but maybe it's a lazy way to get people to complain to Go transit. I can get a petition started but that would take a tremendous amount of time and I don't want to be personally attacked by some dog lovers. The only way to reason with people is to write everything down so people can understand. I don't think I'm repetitive because I explained many reasons why dogs do not belong on Go trains without a crater. Go transit should not start a pilot program without doing surveys and asking people what they think. I am not going to go on and on about all this but people that don't want to be near dogs while on a train have rights as well and forums should be used to express that.

There are many more important issues and problems with Go transit that are not being addressed like all day Go service to Hamilton but they are still doing very little about that. They are coming up with stupid ideas like allowing dogs on trains instead of fixing the real issues with Go transit.

14 minutes ago, Bus_Medic said:

I’ll second Ed’s notion that this whole thread is bordering on irrationally obsessive.

I honestly don’t care one way or the other, so I’m not going to invest any more effort into this debate. If you manage to sway metrolinx to uphold the dog ban, well, bully for you.

You are right. You can only say so much about this topic but at least I pointed out all the issues with having dogs on trains. I hope some people have been persuaded to complain to Go Transit because if nobody complains they will just keep trying ridiculous pilot programs that are not solving the real issues with Go Transit but creating new ones. They need all day Go service to Hamilton and they need to lower the fares. They need more trains during rush hour and less delays. Instead of worrying about the real issues people have with Go Transit, they are starting pilot programs with dogs to make it worse.

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Getting upset at GO for allowing dogs while lacking in service is like getting upset at a homeless person for buying a snack rather than saving up the change they've collected to buy a house.

To allow dogs, nothing needs to be done, except send out a tweet and maybe make a poster for their website. To expand service and mitigate delays, you need to expand infrastructure, which costs a hell of a lot more.

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Or, since every vehicle is sealed from the other....if you don't like a dog moving into your car, why not move to the next?

Dan

The dogs can be in the lower deck and hopefully there will be seats available in the upper deck but I still have to deal with dogs when exiting and entering the train. This dog pilot is not a good business proposition and GO transit is not going to make any profit from this unless the dog owner pays for the fare like they should. The purpose of GO transit is to make a profit so they can be pay for new infrastructure and not help dog lovers and upset existing customers or lose some customers. If dogs in condos create problems, then dogs in trains will have more problems. If a train is ever stopped because of a dog and delays thousands of people, the dog pilot will stop. What if the dog owner needs to use the washroom when they are with a dog? Does the dog have access to the small washrooms? Do you really believe that most dog owners are responsible? Do you really think a teenager with a dog is going to make sure that the dog is well behaved? Some people let their kids go wild on the train and they run around, put finger marks and lip marks all over the windows, and put their dirty shoes on the seat. Customers have to tolerate all this and now we have to worry about dogs as well. Who do you think is paying for cleaning the trains? Customers also have to deal with people talking loudly and swearing and everyone is afraid to complain. I am not afraid to complain and if I see anything inappropriate from a dog or person I will complain because paying customers should not have to suffer because of some misbehaved dog or kids. The train was always better than the subways and now they are trying to trash this as well. The people that use the train during non peak hours are usually more of trouble makers and these are the people that would bring the dogs into the train. If VIA does not allow dogs, then GO transit should not allow dogs either. What if some drunk brought in their dog into the train? There are all kinds of people that take the train during non peak hours and some of them don't even pay for the ticket. You do know some people take trains after 6pm and that's not even considered peak hours. Who wants do deal with all this after a long day's work. Customers have to deal with misbehaved kids that don't pay a ticket and now we may potentially have to deal with dogs that get on for free. The customer experience will just get worse and it would be like going on a subway even though you are paying 10 times as much. I am not obsessed. I am right and watch what happens after they allow dogs on the trains.

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Bruh... how many drunk people do you see milling around the city with dogs?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

You're grasping at all of these ridiculously unlikely scenarios to justify your obsession. The world of commuter rail will keep turning, much as the world of subways hasn't collapsed in on itself because someone will occasionally bring a dog on the train.